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SpotlightOn The GPHG 2022 Nominees: Price Matters

These categories of prizes at the GPHGs (Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève) are all about watches that offer a lot for less. The ‘Petite Aiguille’, which translates to ‘small needle’ in French, is about recognising watches that retail for CHF 3,500 to CHF 10,000 (INR 2.9 to 8.2 lakh, approximately), while the Challenge prize is meant for watches that are priced at even less than CHF 3,500. Here’s a look at the 2022 nominees

Ranvijaysinh Jhala September 5, 2022

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GPHG catgeory: Petite Aiguille

Breitling Top Time Triumph

In the 1960s, the burgeoning sub-culture of café racers created a close-knit community of motorcyclists whose signature style became a genre of its own. Breiting created a café racer-inspired chronograph called the Top Time in the 70s, and now, the brand have revealed a new edition of that Top Time, in collaboration with Triumph, the British motorcycle brand. The ice blue dial with a bicompax layout features a subtle rendition of the Top Time motif, known as the ‘Zorro’—the triangles that frame the sub-dials, resembling Zorro’s mask. With the Triumph logo at six, this dial is housed in a 41mm steel case and runs on a 48-hour automatic, COSC-certified chronometer movement.

GPHG catgeory: Petite Aiguille

Grand Seiko Evolution 9 Spring Drive GMT 9R66

A sporty turn for Grand Seiko’s Evolution 9 collection is probably what put them on this list for the Petite Aiguille prize. Even though it’s an archetypal sport watch, it houses a dial featuring an intricately-crafted pattern, which is an abstract interpretation of the morning mist in Japan’s Shinshu region—home to one of brand’s manufacturing facilities. This level of craftsmanship is what one would expect from even a sport watch from Grand Seiko. With the advanced functionality of a GMT feature, and a power reserve indicator, the watch runs on Seiko’s revolutionary Spring Drive 72-hour automatic calibre.

Grand Seiko Evolution 9

Category: Petite Aiguille

Louis Erard Excellence Le Régulateur ‘Louis Erard X Massena LAB’

Presenting Louis Erard’s signature regulator-style display, which goes back to historical marine chronometers, this Excellence watch is a co-production with Masena LAB—an independent entity known for watchmaking collaborations and experimentation. This edition features a dial base that is a plate with gold-plating, with a grained finishing for textural splendour. It has two levels—the higher one is made of the hour and seconds counters, with centres made of silver-plated opaline. The 42mm steel case houses a 38-hour automatic movement.

This Excellence watch is a co-production with Masena LAB—an independent entity known for watchmaking collaborations and experimentation. It features a gold-plated dial base with grained finishing

GPHG catgeory: Petite Aiguille

Zenith Defy Skyline

This ‘lite’ version of Zenith’s Defy is more than what meets the eye. What appears to be a regular time-only watch, this one actually runs on a Zenith El Primero 1/10th-of-a-second chronograph calibre—a 60-hour automatic—but doesn’t have a chronograph function. Yet, it indicates 1/10th of a second, via the seconds hand at nine, which completes one rotation in 10 seconds, instead of 60. The graduated scale around it has 10 marks per second. With a four-point-star pattern on the dial, the exterior reflects the Zenith Defy collection’s signature look. The 41mm chiselled steel case is water-resistant to 100m.

GPHG Awards Grand Prix Horlogierie Geneva nominees 2022 - lower-priced watches, below Rs 9 lakh - Zenith El Primero Defy Skyline — This Zenith Defy is not a regular time-only watch. It indicates 1/10th of a second, via the seconds hand at nine, which completes one rotation in 10 seconds, instead of 60

Other nominees for the GPHG Petite Aiguille prize

Gelfman IN-16 Nixie
Trilobe Nuit Fantastique Dune Edition

GPHG catgeory: Challenge

Louis Erard Le Régulateur ‘Louis Erard X seconde/seconde/’

Louis Erard’s regulator-display series is interpreted in a quirky way here by seconde/seconde/, AKA Romaric André—a Paris-based designer, known for designing custom watches. With the hour and seconds sub-dials recessed, the silvery white dial features grey markers and blue hands, including the central minutes hand that creates a ‘404 error’ at three o’clock. This is a whimsical reference to the error one sees when something has been removed or never existed on the internet. This 40mm steel limited edition, of 178 pieces, runs on a 38-hour automatic movement.

GPHG Awards Grand Prix Horlogierie Geneva nominees 2022 - lower-priced watches, below Rs 9 lakh - GMT watches regulator watches - Louis Erard — In association with seconde/seconde/—AKA Romaric André, a Paris-based designer—this Louis Erard watch features a central minutes hand that creates a ‘404 error’ at three o’clock, which is a whimsical reference to the error one sees when something has been removed or never existed on the internet

GPHG catgeory: Challenge

TAG Heuer Aquaracer Professional 200 Solargraph

With the recently revamped Aquaracer collection, TAG Heuer have projected it as a great watch for the great outdoors. In keeping with that, this year’s Solargraph edition runs entirely on solar power, and it features a solar panel that’s completely concealed. The quartz mechanism can be powered by energy drawn from natural or artificial sources of light. Two minutes of sunlight can make the watch work for an entire day, and less than 20 hours in the sun can charge it to last for about six months. This movement is the calibre TH50-00, produced by La Joux-Perret, and it uses Eco-Drive solar dial technology. It is housed in a 40mm case in titanium and carbon, with luminescent elements in the carbon bezel, which also have a reaction in the dark after exposure to light—a clever addition indeed!